Wednesday, January 23, 2013

What You Need to Know About Healing by Harold J. Sala

What
do you do when you are faced with sickness, suffering, those
unexpected challenges?

Sala
has written this book to encourage you, your family, and your church
leaders.

The
manner in which God brings healing is part of His sovereign dealing
with you as an individual. Sometimes God brings healing
supernaturally, immediately.

There
are times when God works through the hands of skilled physicians.
This Sala calls integrative healing. God brings healing through a
combination of medical science and His grace in response to fervent
prayer in faith.

There
are times when God allows suffering. It is apparent, Sala writes,
“that supernatural healing is not the way God intends to answer all
our prayers to be healed.” (149) He looks at Paul's “thorn in the
flesh,” pain, weakness and grace. The taste of His presence and
goodness transforms pain to purpose. This Sala calls redemptive
healing. He explains what one needs to do to turn pain and suffering
into redemptive healing.

Sala
provides an overview of how God brings healing. He goes through the
Bible, reviewing the accounts of God healing and providing Scriptures
that affirm God's power and purpose in healing. He looks at the
healing acts of Jesus and those in the early church period, including
those recorded by the early church fathers.

He
notes that with the conversion of Constantine and the Milan Edict of
313, changes happened. “Slowly, over a long period spanning
centuries, the church as a dynamic, living organism whose existence
was demonstrated by its supernatural character including gifts of
healing and the miraculous became an institution that vied for
recognition and eventually political power.” (95) Christians
transitioned to faith in science and accounts of healing are few.

Nonetheless,
God heals and Sala gives several accounts of healing from the recent
past. He writes, “I have demonstrated that God, on occasion, does
intervene, bringing healing and health to some in such a manner that
leaves no room for rational, human explanation.” (132)

He
ends his book by giving eight steps to help find healing God's way.
He adds an Addendum: Encouragement for Pastors and Church Leaders.

This
is a very informative book. Sala thoroughly covers the complex
subject of God and healing. Reading this book would be an
encouragement to anyone experiencing sickness.

His
last section really helps you understand God's purposes in healing
and presents a good path of putting yourself in the right place to
receive what God has for you.

Sala
highlights, in the Addendum, the responsibility of church leaders
with respect to healing. He suggests that this would be a good book
for church leaders to read and discuss. I agree.

Harold
J. Sala is founder and president of Guidelines International, Inc., a
ministry helping believers be discipled and strengthened. He has
written dozens of books and is the featured speaker on “Guidelines:
A Five-Minute Commentary on Living,” a daily radio program. Find
out more at www.guidelines.org.

B &
H Books, 256 pages.

I
received a complimentary copy of this book from a publicity group for
the purpose of this review.

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About Me

I am a retired Christian bookstore owner of 33 years. I still love books and read as many as I can, blogging my reviews. I have also taken up photography and sell photos of Whidbey Island and nearby landscapes.